Brütal Legend- Victory Tour
by spike1970
Summary: Based on, and set in the same continuity as Hunger games Galaxies by war292400 (and takes place a year before). Kabbage Boy is offered to perform on the victory tour for the gods. Also a prequel to Brütal Legend. rated T for language and drug and and alcohol use.
1. The Tour begins

_**Disclaimer: I do not own **__**Br**__**ü**__**tal Legend, That's the Property of Tim Sheafer and Double Fine**__**. **_

_**I do not own Tales of **__**Vesperia**__**, that's the property of Namco-Bandai.**__**  
I do not own **__**the hunger Games, that's the Property of Suzanne Collins**__**. **__**Nor do I own the Fan-Fic hunger Games Galaxies, that's the property of fellow fan-fic writer war 292400.**__**  
This story **__**is about the final tour of the**__** Second Wave of American Tween Melodic Rap Metalcore(or S.W.A.T.M.R.M) band, Kabbage Boy.**_

* * *

_**BR**__**Ü**__**TAL LEGEND**__**: **__**VICTORY TOUR**_

_**Part. 1 The Tour Begins.**_

* * *

_**(Kabbage Boy's office, Seattle, U.S.A.)**_

"Wow...Just...Like wow..." Erik Faust, the lead singer of the S.W.A.T.M.R.M. Band Kabbage Boy gawked in awe at the contract before him. "OMFG! If I'm reading this right, mr Crane. This tour you want us to do will like take us to several different worlds."

"That quite correct., Mr Faust." The debonair man with the stylish beard known as Seneca Crane, head game-maker of the gods, and head manager of the victory tours for the last decade or so cordially replied. "This tour will promise you the sights and vistas of various worlds beyond your comprehension."

"Woah, all those places..." Erik pondered. "That 'll like totally increase our rep! Hell, Just playing a concert in Panem will defiantly get us some totally sweet deals...!" He smiled. _"Like maybe finally getting our own __live-action__ tween-com on the Disney Channel. __Or Nickelodeon at least.__"_ He thought. Kabbage Boy'll be swimming in more cash than you cold find in that old Scottish duck's money bin. Not to mention piles of chicks and booze and stuff.

"Of course I should point out, Mr Faust, we'll be tarting the tour in Mexico(district 12&7), Eon(district 10), Canada(district 11),Sylvarant/Tethe'alla(district 9), Auldrant(district 6),Your country, the United States(district 5), Arcadia(district 4), Germany(district 3), Shining Blue(district 2), Japan(district 1),and Finally, Nan's home-world of Terca Lumereis(district 8)."

Although, interestingly enough, even though these districts(12,11, 7,5,3,&1) all share the same planet, matter of fact, they ARE this planet, they consider themselves separate worlds. And, even more interesting, District 7&12 are considered a shared world. It's a bit difficult to properly explain, so let's just leave it at that.

However Districts 10,9,8,6,4,&2...These worlds are actually whole planets.

"Before wrapping up with a final concert in my home-realm of Panem." Seneca explained.

"You're providing transportation, right?" Erik asked.

"It's all there in the contract, Mr Faust." Seneca answered, pointing at where it's mentioned in the contract. "However You'll have to provide your own instruments, road crew, and props."

"No prob, Cranester, my main dawg." Eric smiled. "This'll be like our best tour EVAR!" Seneca smiles in amusement at Erik's vernacular. "Seeing as we have the best road crew in the heavy metal biz. Not to mention the best roadie on the whole planet, Eddie Riggs." He looks at his contract, Where do I sign...?"

"Right there." Seneca flips the contract's pages to where you's sign, and Erik signs his name on the line. "And we have a deal, I'll be back in a week with the transportation and the guest of honor. Make sure your band and crew are ready..."

"Not to worry, mr Crane. We'll be like totally ready and willing." Erik replied.

"Good day." Seneca pick up the tour contract, place it in his briefcase. "And may the odds be ever in your favor." As he walks out of Erik's office and the door closes behind him, he hears Erik whooping with sheer joy. He shakes his head and sighs. Kabbage Boy's music has become quite popular in the last year or so in the god's realm, and there's been a lot of requests for them to perform on the victory tour. If that's what they want then so be it. Even though they are, by being born on anywhere but Panem, sinners.

* * *

_**(Eddie's Flat, also in Seattle, U.S.A.)**_

"85...86...87..." Eddie grunted as he did his daily chin-ups. A good Roadie needs to be in tip-top shape to handle the rigors of the tour. He and his fellow road crew have been together since their days in the U.S.M.C. Even before becoming a roadie, Edward 'Eddie' Riggs had served three tours of duty with the marines, and had been to both Iraq, and Afghanistan, serving as a combat engineer under the command of major Archimedes 'Shotgun' Harker, and sometimes worked with corporal Robert 'chicken' Smith. Despite the cowardly name, Robert was one of the best damn infiltrates in the corps. Who'd have thought that the word 'chicken' would make even the most fanatical Islamist terrorist wet his pants. Edward has seen his share of combat, much of it close up...

But those days of soldering are behind him now... "93...94...95..." Nowadays, he living the dream...and following in his late father's footsteps, as a roadie. In the last several years, he became one of the best, able to build anything, fix anything... Well except Kabbage Boy's music, if you could call it that. He felt sorry for that Gibson Flying V guitar known as Clementine. That Instrument deserves a better guitarist than Raz...

"...98...99...100..." Eddie lets go of the bar. "Well guess that's it for the chin-ups, Might as well get the instruments tuned.." Eddie said to himself as he walked over to the guitar rack and started tuning Clementine... Once he got her sounding right, he picked up and started tuning the guitar for the bassist, Paul. Of all the members of Kabbage Boy, Paul was the only one to give Eddie and his fellow roadies any respect And treats his bass guitar better than Raz treats Clementine(Edward spends as much time fixing her as well as tuning her). As Eddie finishes adjusting the cogs on the band's drum kit, the lift opens and one of his fellow roadies enters. "Hey, what's up, Ralph...?" Eddie asks.

"Well for starters that supercharger for your deuce finally showed up." Ralph answers. For the last year or so, Eddie has been working on building and customizing a 1932 Ford hot-rod. So far, it's got a 427 ci. s.o.h.c FE engine with eight exhaust pipes, mated to a 5 speed manual transmission and a Ford 9 inch diff with trac-lock. The body is matte black with an orange flame-job. All it needed to finish her was the supercharger. Gonna slap it on this evening.

"Good to hear, Ralph..." Eddie walks over to the fridge, takes out two beers, giving one to Ralph. The two roadies sit down on the couch and watch some TV, currently It's tuned to Discovery, there's a marathon of 'Fast and Loud' playing on that channel. "Looks like I'll finally get her put together this evening. Can't wait to see how she'll sound"

"Fast and loud, I'll reckon..." Ralph takes a gulp of his beer. "But that's not all, Eddie, We got a tour coming up, and it's a fucking big one."

"How big...?" Eddie asked.

"Like I said, fucking big..." Ralph repeated. "Kabbage Boy's gonna be playing for the gods victory tour."

"You're right, that is fucking big..." Eddie takes a swig of his beer. "I didn't know that the gods liked Kabbage boy, man they got some weird taste in music. Not to mention, I don't think our tour bus is made for interplanetary travel. Know where I could find some parts to make a warp-drive..."

"The gods got that covered." Ralph replied.

"So when does it kick off?" Eddie asks.

"Next week." Ralph answers. "Doesn't give us much time."

"Yeah...Looks like my hot-rod's gonna have to wait." Eddie finishes his beer. "Well, man works from sun to sun..."

"But a roadie's work is never done." Ralph finishes. "Thanks for the beer, Eddie. Gotta go pack things up for the tour." Ralph finishes the beer and takes the lift down. Eddie starts packing up the instruments... One thing's for sure, this tour won't be forgettable, not to mention...fucking big.

* * *

_**(Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, One Week Later)**_

The Kabbage Boy road crew had everything they needed to put on a concert all packed and ready to go, and were the first to arrive at the airport. Shortly afterwords, Kabbage Boy showed up in a stretch limousine, and when they came out, they were met by an entourage of of screaming tween-age groupie fan-girls wearing their merchandise and clamoring for their autographs(which the band members gave at 5$ a pop).

Then out from the limo emerged Seneca Crane, looking as you's expect what a god would look like his skin was flawless, his hair perfect, his suit very stylish, but what catches Eddie's attention... "Man, that guy's got a weird looking beard..."

Seneca overhears the roadie's comment, and approaches. "So...you think my beard looks weird to you..."

"Busted, Eddie..." Ralph added. "Nice knowing you."

"Yeah, pretty much, with all them swirls and stuff." Eddie said. "Man that looks freaking weird, how do you manage to get it like that...?"

"_*sigh*_ I thought I had had my filter fixed before I came here." Seneca rolled his eyes. Like most 'gods', Seneca often used a personal filter to make him look like a normal person of the districts, as well as sanitize him against these sinners germs, since he believes that these lowly sinners don't deserve to look upon his true glory as a godly Panem Noble. Unlike that vapid, air-headed goddess, Effie Trinket, who never bothers with a filter, or just forgets to use it. One thing's for certain, he's going to need a lot of decontamination when he returns to the realm. "What is your name, servant..."

"The name's Eddie Riggs..." Eddie answered folding his muscular arms across his chest. "And I'm not a servant, I'm a roadie." He matter of factually stated.

"Do you realize you are in the presence of a god, Edward?" Seneca declared.

"Yeah, So...?" Eddie replied.

"With but a single word, Edward, I could have you smited by a platoon of our finest peacekeepers, and have your sinful soul sent screaming into the hot bowels of your Hell." Seneca threatened.

But Eddie just stood there. "Why not, good day as any to be smited, things were getting kind of boring anyway." Eddie calmly replied, lighting a cigarette.

Seneca was surprised to say the least, anyone else would have been on their knees, begging for forgiveness(and often not getting it, to be dragged away by peacekeepers to have who knows what done to them). Instead this...roadie was calmly smoking his cigarette. Seneca stepped back a couple of feet to examine this defiant sinner (And keep from breathing in that cigarette smoke). He could tell that this...individual is a rather powerful looking specimen, pretty well muscled, like the barbarian heroes of ancient lore. But there was one thing about this roadie caught his attention... His belt buckle... There's something oddly familiar about it... can't quite place where... "Clearly you don't lack courage, were you a warrior...?"

"United States Marine Corps If you're wondering, Weird Beard." Eddie answered. "Semper Fi."

"Ah, yes, your country's elite, almost as good as our lowest grade peacekeepers...almost." Seneca sneered. "But one more question...Your belt buckle...where did you acquire it...?"

"You mean this guy...?" Eddie points at his buckle. "Found it in my dad's attic after he got killed in a stage accident a few years ago. I like to wear it to remember him by. He was a good man."

"I see..." Seneca stroked his beard. "That will be all for now, mr Riggs..." He turns his back. "And know that my name is Seneca Crane. I am the person in charge of this tour. Now if you'll excuse me...I believe I have an interview to attend to." He starts to walk off.

"Whatever you say...Weird Beard." Eddie waves. Seneca stops for a second shakes his head and continues walking.

"Man, Eddie, talk about dodging the bullet." Ralph commented. "Either you have balls so big you need a semi to haul them around or you're as crazy as a honey badger."

"Probably a bit of both, Ralph." Eddie replied, snuffing out his cigarette with his palm. "Anyway let double-check the equipment to make sure everything's there." The two roadies join their companions to check their gear.

* * *

_**(The Interview)**_

First to enter the interview room were the two gods, Seneca Crane and Effie Trinket, who was wearing the latest in Panem fashion, a very stylish purple dress and matching purple wig and heavily covered in enough make-up to coat a 1959 Cadillac. Accompanying them was a squad of heavily armed peacekeepers in their gleaming white uniforms.

Now looking at then you'd think they not so much as gods as rather eccentric, and stylishly dressed humans. But you must remember they hail from an ancient...and very powerful society which claims to possess weapons and technology that would make even our most modern weapons look like stone-age spears by comparison. If the people of the world of Panem want claim to be gods than who are we to argue... And that is why no one dares to resist them... And that's the way things were for the last thousand years when, in a demonstration of their power, made the world known as district 13 disappear from the cosmos.

Next to enter and sit down was the gods high priest of district 8, Natz, the vice-duce of Nordopolica(Belius couldn't attend). Accompanying him was the current tribute mentor, Julia DuBois, a librarian that moonlights as a castle maid(or is that the other way around) and former imperial knight, and a twelve year old girl with brown hair. You may not believe this but this young girl is Nan, the latest victor of the 2011 Hunger Games. And he was brought to Earth to start her Victory Tour.

And finally entering fashionably late was the band Kabbage Boy. First was the lead singer Erik Faust, Wearing his favorite white suit and phantom of the opera mask, covering half his face, The whiteness of his suit rivaling the whiteness of the squad of peacekeepers. Next to enter was the lead guitarist, Raz, wearing his favorite shades, red ball-cap and shirt. Next to enter was the bassist, Paul wearing his favorite shades and olive-green shirt. Following him was was the DJ, Reggie, wearing three ball-caps on his head and his favorite shirt showing a rabbit stabbed with a switchblade. And finally the drummer Sid, with enough metal piercings on his head to build a 1959 Cadillac, and wearing his anarchy shirt.

As the camera clicked and flashed, and the Kabbage Boy groupies cheered and squeed, some of them holding up posters of their favorite band member. Effie Trinket stands up and bangs a silver spoon on her wineglass, its chimes quieting down the crowd. "Welcome, all you eager reporters to our lovely victory tour interview featuring this year's victor of the 2011 hunger games, Nan Flutcher"

"_*ahem*_ It's Nan Fletcher, miss Trinket." Julia corrected.

"Oh yes, Nan Fletcher.. Never could tell the two apart..." Effie chirped, Seneca just face-palms, and Julia chuckles. "As I was saying, Nan Fletcher of District 8. Ms Fletcher...?" And Nan stands up and casually waves. The cameras flash. "As well as the wonderful heavy metal band who'll be playing at each district we'll be visiting on this year's tour, may I present Kabbage Boy." The band members all stand up and the cameras really go crazy, not to mention the nearby groupies. Some of them try to get up on the stage but were pushed back by the peacekeepers. "Happy questioning, and may the odds be ever be in your favor."

The first question came from a young Belgian reporter. "Ms Fletcher, what are your plans after the tour?"

"And your name sir...?" Seneca asked.

"Just Tintin, mr Crane." The reporter answered. "Of Le Petit Vingtieme."

Seneca pressed a few buttons on a pad and reads the holographic readout. "Ah, yes, Tintin..." He replied. "Real name Shane Gascard, currently living at Marlinspike, Belgium. And quite the adventurer I understand." Tintin just nods. "Well, seeing as you question about our victor is acceptable, Nan, do be so kind and answer."

"As you wish..." Nan stands up. "I will, with my fellow guild members continue to hunt and destroy the evil monsters that plague my world, and I will continue to volunteer for the games." Nan declared, Julia face-palms and shakes her head. "And of course when I turn nineteen, I will replace Julia as mentor of the tributes of district 8 in seven years time."

For nearly an hour, the reporters gave their questions about the tour(which was all they were allowed), and answers were given. And then the interview was ended.

* * *

_**(Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, the following morning)**_

The tour plain arrived early last night as the interview was given. When it arrived, the roadies could see that this colossal craft was clearly not of this world. The main body of this vessel was over three hundred feet long and was white with short silver wings and four bullet shaped engines mounted top and bottom. What's more it didn't have wheels, it was a hover-craft.

It had four floors. The lowest floor was for cargo.

The middle floor was for second class passenger cabins, divided into three sections, with the roadies staying in the rearmost section, Peacekeepers in the middle section, and the front-most section was a viewing area.

The top floor was first class accommodations separated into five sections. The rearmost section was a restaurant. The next section was where the Victor and her entourage would reside. The next section was reserved for Kabbage Boy. And the forward-most section was reserved for Seneca Crane and Effie Trinket.

The topmost floor of the tour-craft held the cockpit and this vessels crew.

The roadies spent the whole night loading their equipment onto the cargo deck.

By the time the two gods, the victor and her entourage, and the Kabbage Boy band members arrived, the roadies had everything packed and have gone to their cabins to sleep, except for Eddie. Who was standing outside waiting. Erik walks up to him. "Well, Eddie, I hope everything's packed." he does some text messaging on his I-Phone.

"Yep." Eddie replied. "All the gear's been stowed. So what's our first stop...?"

"Mexico City, Eddie, so we'll be like wanting a combination Mayan Catholic theme for our stage when we get there." Eric suggested as he returns a text. "Oh, and we'll be like wanting some elevating platforms for the stage as well, got that...?" Eddie nods. "Good..." Erik puts away his I-Phone and hurries back, in a rather girlish gait to the gangway and gets on board.

"Well, no point hanging around..." Eddie takes one last at the Airport. "Time to get this show on the road... or is it the clouds..." He climbs aboard, knowing that he won't be getting much sleep, as he plans out how the stage in Mexico will look like according to Erik's vision.

* * *

_**(End Part 1)**_

_**Author's Notes: **_

_**Welcome to Victory Tour, A crossover fan-fic of Brütal Legend and the fan-fic Hunger Games Galaxies by War292004. This fan-fic will be a prequel to both Brütal Legend and HGG.**_

_**I needed to whip up some names for the Kabbage Boy members, And I also gave Eddie some pre-roadie background by having him serve in the Marines. The Roadie that appears in the opening scene in Brütal Legend will be named Ralph.**_

_**There may be the occasional cameo appearance of certain characters, like Tintin for example. His 'real' name is from the fan-fic series, Modern! Tintin by fan-fic writer Ios kav.**_

_**Originally this tour was going to feature characters from 'Tales of the Abyss' But It was recently confirmed that D8(tales of Vesperia) won last year's event so I had to re-write chapter one and re-write chapter two, sorry, Abyss fans.**_

_**Next chapter, we go south of the border. All Aboard!?**_

_***Sound of a hover-craft taking off***_


	2. South of the Border

_**Part. 2 South of the Border**__** (D12, D7)**__**.**_

* * *

_**(The Tour Plane, Seattle, U.S.A.)**_

The plane leaves Seattle–Tacoma International Airport and turns to a heading of 138 degrees, climbing to ten-thousand or so feet in the air and soon accelerating to about three hundred miles and fifty per hour once it reached altitude.

"Three hundred and fifty miles an hour and you could barely feel a thing." Effie commented on the smoothness of the ride to Nan, Natz and Julia. "I think It's one of the wonderful things about this opportunity, That even though we're on Earth, host world to Six of our twelve districts, and even though it's just for a little while..." She drones, thinking about when they'll head to district 8, so she can dress up that cute princess with the natural pink hair. "You get to enjoy all this." Then she stands up. "I'm going to talk to Seneca, he's probably in the viewing section." And leaves.

Julia stands up. "If you two kindly excuse me, I'm going to stretch my legs a bit."

"Okay then..." Natz agreed. "See you in a bit." Julia goes downstairs...

"I must admit, this is a very advanced world." Nan commented as she looks out the window. "And, oh wow! What a view!" She squeed, looking at the Cascades whizzing past below. One of the rare times she can let herself be a twelve year old girl instead of a killer.

"Just remember what it took to get you here, Nan." Natz reminded.

"I know, Vice-Duce." Nan replied, thinking about how she won the 'right' to live. She remembered seeing the two young wizards, and several tributes slaughtered in the cornucopia bloodbath, killing a district 6 male that tried to run her through as she escaped to the surrounding woods. She remembers the survivors forming an alliance totaling three individuals only to be taken out by her own partner, a district 9 male using an explosion spell, severely injuring himself in the process, and bleeding to death. Leaving her, A district 3 male and the two district 12 tributes, a couple days later...it was just her. "Is this what Julia, Zagi, their mentor, commandant Alexei, and Drake Dropwart went through...?" She said to herself, Natz nods. "_*sigh*_."

"Anyway, I'm sure that Clint and the Hunting Blades will be pleased with you..." Natz replied.

"_*sigh*_...Yeah.. I suppose so, Vice-Duce." Nan said, leaning on her chair...

… Meanwhile, Julia heads towards the front of the plane. As she approaches the viewing lounge, she hears the two gods talking...

Seneca: "Are you trying to tell me that my filter's working correctly...?"

?: "Yes, sir, It's working perfectly..." A third voice replied. The slight distortion telling Julia that it a communicated signal.

Seneca: "Well this is rather odd..."

Effie: "Is something wrong, Seneca...?"

Seneca: "One of Kabbage Boy's servants saw through my filter yesterday and saw my true appearance, He even commented on my stylish beard, thinking it was...weird..."

Effie: "A mortal saw the true you...!? That's very unusual... Oh dear...What if he can see the true me as well...?"

?: "What is this individual's name, sir...?"

Seneca: "I believe he calls himself...Eddie Riggs. Could you bring up his bios...?"

?: "Affirmative, sir... It might take a while though..."

Seneca: "Understood, but be quick about it... Oh yeah, one more thing, He was wearing a rather interesting...belt buckle... I'm uploading a picture of it now... See what you could find out about it..."

?: "We'll see what we could find out, sir..."

"_Ed__ward__ Riggs...?"_ Julia thought to herself. _"He could see through their filters...? And the gods are concerned about his belt buckle...? I think I shall have a few words with him..."_ Julia turns around and heads towards the rear of the plane... And the roadies cabins...

_**(The Roadies Section)**_

After presenting the necessary papers to allow her to pass through the peacekeepers section, Julia enters the roadies section. There she sees several roadies relaxing and taking in the fast moving view. A couple were playing cards, one was writing down notes. And one of then was playing something called a PSP, or maybe it was a 3DS, not quite sure which...

"Excuse me..." Julia asked in a polite voice. "Do anyone know where I could find Mr Edward Riggs...?"

"Eddie...?Why do you want to know, miss...?" Ralph asked.

"Nothing much, I just simply wanted to talk." Julia answers.

"Well he's in his cabin, working on a new stage design for Mexico City..." Ralph answers, pointing his thumb at the cabins. "Make sure to knock first."

"Thank you kindly, sir." Julia bowed.

"Hey, don't thank me. I work for a living, gotta support the wife and kids." Ralph said, as he watched Julia go towards the cabins. "She seems like an okay lady... if a bit hoidy-toidy" He says to himself as he reads today's stocks...

...It didn't tale long for Julia to find Eddie's cabin, seeing as he taped his name on the door. Julia then knocks _*knock knock*_. "Yeah, who is it...?" Eddie's slightly gruff voice answered.

"It's me, Julia DuBois..." Julia answered. "May I come in or are you too busy...?"

"Might as well..." Eddie answers, Julia opens the door...and looks at this muscled roadie sitting at the table drawing out the design for the stage, looking at some images of Mayan architecture on a laptop computer, and listening to 'We are The Road Crew' by Motörhead. Eddie looks at his new visitor. Short dark brown hair, circular rimmed glasses, smart looking blue jacket worn over a white blouse, and knee length pleated skirt and boots... Eddie could tell that this lady has the look of nobility about her (not to mention looks a bit like that maid from 'Code Geass', and, from hearing her earlier, talks a bit like that fashionista pony from MLP; FIM)... not to mention... "You military...?" He asks.

"I was..." Julia curtly replies. "A lieutenant in the Royal Guard back home on Terca Lumereis three years ago. And you...?"

"Former sergeant major, United States Marine Corps engineer. Name's Eddie Riggs."

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Julia DuBois. May I sit down?"

"Sure..." Eddie replies. "So what brings you here...?"

"Oh, not much, I just over heard our two...'gods'... talking about you." Julia answered. "It would appear that you've somehow got their interest."

"Really..." Eddie said. "How come they're so interested...?"

"It seems that you saw one of them in their true form." Julia replied. "The one called Seneca Crane I believe."

"Oh, yeah, Weird Beard..." Eddie smiled. "Strangest thing though, when I first saw him, he kinda looked...normal, but then he blurred slightly and that's when I saw what he really looked like. He thought his personal filter broke or something."

"Interesting, Mr Riggs...May I..." Julia borrows a pen and paper and draws a face on it, showing it to Eddie. "This is what his beard looked like to me."

Eddie looks at the drawing of Seneca's beard as Julia, (or anyone else for that matter) would have seen it due to the filter. "Yeah, pretty looks pretty normal and plain looking enough..." Then Eddie does a drawing beneath it. "Now here's what it looks like to me..." He shows Julia his drawing of Seneca's beard as it really looked. "What do ya think...?"

"My word...Very interesting..." Julia commented on Eddie's drawing of Seneca's beard, with all those waves and swirls. "So that's what you saw..." Eddie nodded. "It seems that you have quite a rare gift, Mr Riggs. You can see the gods for what they truly are. Though I should point out that Seneca and Effie are two of the more milder examples compared to what I saw during my visits to their realm... The hair styles and fashions there are, simply put, VERY bizarre to say the least."

"Uh huh..." Eddie said. "I'm curious though, you've been a mentor for what was it..."

"About two years, counting this year, since I turned nineteen..." Julia answered. "I was fifteen when I...won my event."

"Two years, huh...?" Eddie asked, Julia nods. "Quite Frankly, they shouldn't be making those kids kill each other like that. Hell they shouldn't have made you do that sort of thing either."

"I simply agree..." Julia replied. "I do admit I sometimes can still feel their blood on my hands, and I won't deny what I did was simply terrible, ending so many young lives, but it's something I have to live with... and at times it's not easy..._*sigh*_...That's the price of a victor..." Julia replied. "Oh yeah, there's one more thing that's got the gods interested, they were talking about your belt buckle."

"I had a feeling that's gonna come up, Julia..." Eddie stood up, showing Julia his custom belt buckle. "Before you say anything else, I found it in my Dad's attic after he died, and I wear it to remember him by."

"_*gasp*_Oh my word...That's your belt buckle...?" Julia gasped in surprise hand dainty to her chin as she looked the chrome belt buckle, which resembled a star-shaped face of a fearsome beast with a mouthful of sharp dagger-like teeth and four tusks, the upper tusks long and spiraling, and looking angry. "How simply amazing...! I...I have a pin like that.

"Yeah, he's kind of badass..." Eddie sits back down. "My dad had some pretty cool tastes. But what do you mean that you've got a pin like that...?" Julia opens up her jacket, showing on her shirt just above her left breast, a pin with that same creature's snarling chrome face on it. "Woah... No kidding... Talk about outta this world... There must be more to this guy than I thought..."

"It would simply appear so, Mr Riggs..." Julia replied. "I bought the pin as a good luck token in Nordopolica five years ago before I went into the games. And to think I almost bought a mockinjay pin..." Julia said as she closed her jacket. "...And it seemed like it...called out to me as if it chose me to wear it... Also I kind of like it...It's just so...interesting...Simply weird huh...?"

"Heh heh, Guess me and my dad weren't the only ones with badass tastes" Eddie smiled. "I don't think it's weird that you liked it, maybe deep down you liked cool things, and admit it it, that guy's kinda cool..."

"I see..." Julia listens to the music (now 'Fire Fire' by Motörhead) that was coming from the speakers connected to Eddie's mp3 player. "Rather interesting music... Is that Kabbage Boy...?"

"Nope..." Eddie shakes his head. "Motörhead, actually, A real heavy metal band."

"Doesn't the band you're working for play this kind of music...?" Julia asks.

"Kabbage Boy...? Pffft...! They're more boy-band than metal to be honest. They think that they're the first of some new genre called theSecond Wave of American Tween Melodic Rap Metalcore(or S.W.A.T.M.R.M. For short), I don't think there was even a 'first wave'..." Eddie shakes his head. "Stuff they play... I could hardly call it Metal... Or even decent Rock n Roll for that matter..."

Julia looks at the drawings Eddie has made for the stage. "Rather interesting designs you drew up there... Is this going to be the stage at our first stop?"

"Just about..." Eddie replied. "Though I went through quite a few sheets..." He points his thumb at a waste-basket almost overflowing with balls of crumpled paper. "May have to get a new scrapbook."

Julia stands up. "I must get back to my cabin...Thank you kindly for taking the time to talk to me." She politely bows.

"Hey, no prob..." Eddie replied as he went back to working on the stage design. Julia leaves Eddie's cabin and heads back to her cabin to get some rest... "For a hoidy-toidy chick, she's kinda cool..." Eddie said to himself

* * *

_**(**__**Benito Juárez International Airport**_ _**, Mexico City)**_

...Traveling non-stop at 350 mph, it took the tour plane roughly six hours to finally reach Mexico city. The passengers soon dis-embark while the roadies loaded the gear onto several waiting trucks.

Not surprisingly, Kabbage Boy was greeted by a large mob of cheering Mexican tween-age groupies, shouting out their names, shouting how much they love them, even the boys in that mob, shouting out how much they want their babies, even the boys strangely enough, all of their shouting, screaming, squeeing, and gushing in Spanish of course, and holding up several posters of their favorite band members.

As the VIPs made their was to a waiting limousine to take them to their hotel, Natz decides to inquire something with Seneca. "I'm curious as to why we don't just teleport from one city to another." Natz pondered.

"Well, even on Panem, we don't use portals to go from place to place..." Seneca replied. "Portals use up a fair amount of energy, so we just use them to go from one world to another. So for now, We'll be just using the conventional engines for our first two stops, and then we'll start using the portals. I admit it's a bit time consuming, but that's how things are set up for now."

"I see." Natz understands. "If that's how it goes, then that's how it goes." He enters the waiting limousine.

Seneca notices Eddie and Erik talking next to the cargo trucks and decides to go talk to them. "Well, mr Faust, I trust that the stage for your concert is already planned out."

"It sure is, Mr Crane." Erik shows him what Eddie has drawn up for the stage.

"Hmmm...not bad, Mr Riggs. Not bad at all." Seneca nods at Eddie's stage plans. "I suppose that it'll suffice."

"Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment, Seneca." Eddie replied.

"May I remind you, Mr Riggs, my name is...Oh, wait... You called me Seneca didn't you...?"

"I did..." Eddie replied. "Would you rather I'd call you Weird Beard...?"

"No, you may not, Mr Riggs, Seneca will do fine...for now." Seneca replied. "How long will it take to get it built and ready...?"

"About two or three days..." Eddie replied. "Seeing as you got us set up at the Auditorio Nacional here in Mexico City..."

"Well no less than the largest local stadiums for our band." Seneca smiled, so did Erik. "I trust that it'll be a very good performance, Mr Faust...?"

"Don't worry, Mr Crane..." Erik replied. "... It'll be like totally awesome."

"Very well then, I'll leave you two to chat." Seneca gets into the VIP limousine and it drives off.

"Well, Eddie, seeing as our manager likes your stage design, we'll go with that." Erik said. "By the way, did you get those lifts we wanted...?"

"Got Ralph on it right now, Erik." Eddie replies. "We're picking up a set of Houshakuji industries powerful motor lifts for the stage."

"Alright then..."Erik starts texting on his I-phone. "I'll leave you to get to it while we head over to our hotel and party it up with lots of chicks and booze and stuff. See ya in a couple of days..." And he gets into a stretch limousine reserved for him and his band and drive off.

"Well, no point sticking around." Eddie said to himself as he climbs aboard the truck and drive it to the Auditorio Nacional stadium. This is going to be a lot of work...

* * *

_**(The national Palace of Mexico, The next day)**_

The limos and their armored car escort parks at the back of the building. Julia, Natz, and Nan, along with Kabbage boy are led inside. They can smell an excellent meal being prepared for them. As they made their way towards the main entrance, they can hear first the Mexican national anthem, followed by the anthem of the gods.

Some of Effie's staff clips microphones onto their collars. The president of Mexico introduces them as the massive doors open with a deep groan.

"Big smiles, everyone." Effie said as they walk through the entrance to the waiting crowd of locals, Kabbage Boy groupies and reporters and paparazzi, held well back by the squads of peacekeepers and the local military and police. The VIPs were standing at the top of the stairs beneath the shining sun. As their eyes adjust, they could see that the building on either side, and the square before them was festooned with banners bearing the symbol of the gods. Not to mention that the square was packed with the afore mentioned crowd of locals, Kabbage Boy groupies and reporters and paparazzi.

As usual with most tours, there was a special platform at the bottom of the stairs for the families of the fallen tributes of district 7 and district 12, and the current mentor for both districts, seeing as the last district 12 mentor died a few years prior. The mentor was a Russian male in his mid twenties who...won the games for D7 seven years earlier.

The applause, and the flashing cameras soon die down and the president gives the speech in Nan's honor. Two little girls in traditional Mexican dress approach the victor and her retinue with large bouquets of flowers.

Nan starts her speech. "People of Districts 7 and 12 in general and the Republic of Mexico in particular, I congratulate you on the noble efforts of your tributes sacrifice in the glorious name of the benevolent, merciful gods that watch over us year in and year out. I especially congratulate the two tributes of district 12, Pedro Martinez(M), and Juana Delgado(F), who both managed to make it into the top four. Be proud of their valiant efforts." The President steps forward and presents Nan with a Plaque that was so large, she had to hand his bouquet to Julia in order to hold it. "I humbly accept this plaque on behalf of districts 7 and 12." Nan said as he accepted the plaque. The cameras start flashing again as the VIPs turn and re-enter the building...

… As they sat down to enjoy their lavish dinner, Effie talks first. "Well, my darling Nan, That was a most wonderful speech you gave today. I couldn't have written it better myself..."

"I thought you did write his speech, Effie." Seneca replied as he sipped his wine.

"Oh right, I actually did..." Effie chirped back. "And as I said before, it was a most marvelous speech if I do say so myself. I'll really have to top myself when we head up north to...what was that quaint little town called again... Oh, right... Ottawa..."

"Quite correct, Effie..." Seneca replied. He turns to the victor's party. "Well, Nan, How are you enjoying the sights so far...?"

"It's quite colorful, to say the least..." Nan replied. "This is a very interesting sandwich..." She said as she examined...then took a bite of the crunchy ans mildly spicy sandwich... "And quite tasty and a bit spicy, what is this...?"

"Ah... I do believe the locals here call them...tacos, fried ground beef mixed with shredded cheese, lettuce, sour cream and some mild peppers to give it some spice wrapped in a specially formed corn chip. I understand that there are also soft shelled versions and sometimes they use a very powerful pepper called a jalapeño to give it an extra kick, but I wouldn't recommend it, for they are VERY hot." Effie answered.

"I see..." Nan continues to eat her taco, washing it down with a glass of cola.

"Personally I find this feels just like home." Natz said. "You don't find it too warm, Julia...?" He asks Julia. "I know you might find it a bit warmer than the more milder climate around Zaphais..."

"I do admit it's rather warm..." Julia replied, taking a bite out of her steak. "But I don't find it as too bad, I'm not sweating at least. Though I guess the climate would simply pale in comparison to Mantiac. Not that I've ever been there..." Natz nods.

Seneca turn his attention to Kabbage Boy. "Well, gentlemen, How is your stage coming along...?" He asks.

"Well, Eddie's like totally halfway through building it, Cranster..." Erik replied. "I got a look at earlier today, and it looks sweet...! The locals are like totally gonna love it!"

"So what are your plans for tonight?" Effie asks.

"Oh, were like gonna hit an exclusive nightclub and totally party it up..." Erik smiles.

"Oh, yeah, There's gonna be piles of chicks and booze and stuff..." Raz Added. "Or in your cases, miss Trinket miss DuBois(Raz doesn't know that Julia is a lesbian), there's gonna be piles of guys and booze and stuff... Oh, man I can't wait...Ha ha...Ha ha ha ha..." Raz laughs in anticipation of the wild party that's to come; Making out with the chicks, Inhaling enough booze to give you a hangover that would last the better part of the following day, and snorting lines of marijuana and smoking cocaine... or was that snorting lines of cocaine and smoking marijuana, as well as other drugs... Oh, yeah, Kabbage Boy's gonna get laid, high and rip-roaring drunk tonight. Seneca and Effie rolls their eyes. Are all earth metal bands like this? They think to themselves... Oh well, might as well enjoy dinner...

* * *

_**(The Auditorio Nacional Concert Hall, the afternoon of the concert)**_

Eddie was up on the stage making a few last minute checks on the stage props to make sure they work correctly for the concert tonight. So far they got the combination Mayan pyramid/cathedral built, and the sculptures were doing the final touches on the foam rubber coating carved and painted to look like sculpted stone. Also this prop is where they'll have the drum kit and Sid playing on.

"Alright check check 1,2,3..." Eddie spoke into the main microphone to calibrate it for the concert... Sounds okay so far. "Okay, Ralph, Top Floods" He said to the walkie-talkie.

"Top Floods..." Ralph replied as he lit the top floodlights, bathing the stage in their multicolored hues.

"Hmmm...Looks likes one of the bulbs is out, better fix that..." Eddie notices one of the floodlights was dark, so obviously that'll need to be replaced.

"Noted..." Ralph replied through the walkie-talkie.

"Okay, lets try the rear floods." Eddie ordered.

"Rear floods..." Ralph replied as he lit the rear floodlights, Eddie could see that the rear floods are working perfectly.

"Nice, rear floods are fine, okay, lets try the side pots." Eddie ordered.

"Side pots..." Ralph fires up the side pots... and they were lighting up perfectly.

"Awesome, Okay, Lets test the lifts..." Eddie ordered.

"Lifts are running..." Ralph replies back as the Power Motors sparked to life each one lifting a roadie up to the stage... Eddie could see that they were working satisfactorily. If they have no problem lifting a two hundred plus pound roadie, they should have no problem lifting up the Kabbage Boy band members.

"Awesome, lifts are good..." Eddie spoke into his walkie-talkie, but for some odd reason, he half expects to see a squirrely Japanese schoolgirl standing on one of them... Never mind... He notices Kabbage boy approach. "So what do you think...?"

"Oh, wow, it's like totally awesome. Eddie..." Erik replied, smiling. "The Cranster's gonna love this."

"That pyramid is so wicked, man, check it..." Raz added.

"Yeah, Raz..." Sid said looking at the pyramid. "So that's where I'm playing the drums on...cool."

"I know, Sid, I can't wait to climb on it." Raz said.

"Hey, didn't I tell you not to go climbing on the props..." Eddie warned. "One of those days you're gonna fall down and go splat."

"Oh, Geez, what are ya...my mom...?" Raz complained. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna climb on it...too much. Heh heh...Heh heh heh heh..."

"Hey, don't tease him, Raz, he scares me..." Paul warned.

"Like whatever..." Erik texts on his I-phone. "Anyway let's get backstage and get ready." The Kabbage boy band members leave...Except for Paul.

"Um...do I really scare you...?" Eddie asks.

"No, man, actually I kinda respect you..." Paul answered. "Just don't let the others hear that, they'll never let me hear the end of it."

"So how was that party...?" Eddie asks.

"Oh, the usual, they got laid, got drunk, got high, Raz was climbing on everything in sight, they totally wrecked the place, got bounced out, called me to come pick 'em up." Paul explained. Unlike the rest of the band, Paul wasn't overly interested in partying, preferring to relax and take in the scenery. "And that was pretty much it."

"Uh huh..." Eddie nodded as Paul rejoined his fellow band members, just then his walkie-talkie squawked. "Eddie here..."

"Top floods are fixed, Eddie. Turns out one of 'em was loose, wanna try 'em now...?" Ralph asked.

"Go for it, Ralph." Eddie replied. "Top Floods!"

"Top floods..." Ralph replied and the top floodlights, once again, flashed to life, this time all of them was working.

"Now that's awesomely cool..." Eddie smiled. The stage was finally ready. And right on time, for the two gods and the victor's party had just arrived. "Well, perfect timing." Eddie commented.

"Well, I wanted to introduce my fellow goddess Effie to you, as well as introduce Nan and Natz," Seneca said. "I understand from our peacekeepers that miss DuBois already met you on the plane a few days ago..."

"Nothing escapes your attention, doesn't it...?" Julia said.

"So what were you two darling talking about...?" Effie asked.

"Not much..." Julia answered. "I Just wanted to talk that's all."

"I see then..." Effie replied. "Well then I suppose I should introduce myself then..._*ahem*_... My name is Effie Trinket, I'm the escort for these wonderful people here; Nan Fletcher, winner of this year's Hunger Games and co-priest, Natz." She introduces Eddie to Nan and Natz. "Is it true you can see through our filters...?"

"Name's Edward Riggs, but everybody calls me Eddie..." Eddie greeted back. "And as for the filters, Ford-Edsel..."

"Ford-Edsel...?" Effie looks perplexed.

"Your name kinda sounds like the name of a type of engine block made by Ford Motors between 1958 and 1976..." Eddie explained. "... Oh yeah, your wigs a bit crooked and you could ease up on the make-up a bit. There's enough on your face to coat a 1959 Cadillac... Just saying..."

"Um...Right..." Effie steps back a bit. "Do I really use that much make-up...?" She asks Seneca, he just shrugs. Effie takes out a mirror and adjusts her wig. "So... that's the famous belt buckle you were talking about..." She looks at Eddie belt buckle. "A rather scary looking creature, and I remember seeing something like that five years ago, Do you still have that pin you purchased in Nordopolica, miss DuBois...?"

"I do, miss Trinket..." Julia answers. "...Matter of fact, I'm wearing it right now..." She opens up her jacket, showing them her pin.

"I knew I saw it somewhere..." Seneca said. "To be honest, I had assumed that you might have overheard our conversation on the plane earlier."

"Actually I did." Julia answered. "Besides, If I didn't find out about Edward's seeing through filters and the belt buckle there and then, I would have found out about it now. I wonder if there's a connection between our worlds and this rather interesting chrome creature...? Furthermore, does your beard really have all those waves and swirls cut into it...?" She tilts her head left and right examining the bearded god in front of her.

"It does, but you don't deserve to see them, miss DuBois. HUMPH!" Seneca answered, nose in the air. "Well I do suppose that enough of this little chit-chat. Mr Riggs, Erik told us that you the person to see for our backstage passes..."

"Yep, Weird-Beard..." Eddie shows them the passes. "Make sure you wear them around your necks at all times during the concert, and make sure you stay in the designated areas..." He passes out five backstage passes, three for the gods(another one's joining them later), and three for the victor's party. "Make sure you return 'em once the concert's over." They put the passes on their necks and head backstage. Just as the fans start entering the concert hall and begin taking their seats...

* * *

_**(The Kick-Off of the Tour)**_

… "Okay everybody, this is it! Take your places! Let's make some magic!" Eddie shouted, as the road crew took their places and Kabbage Boy got on their assigned platforms. Just off the stage, the two gods and the victor's party, thanks to their backstage passes had an excellent view of the stage. Joining them was another god named Cinna.

Eddie joins the group. "Well nice of you to finally join us, Cinna." Seneca greeted the dark skinned god. The reason why Cinna was late was because he had an appointment with a very important client in Panem that couldn't wait. Once that client's plastic surgery was done, Cinna took a private hovercraft through the inter-realm portal and flew in to Mexico City, only arriving an hour ago.

"Thought I'd come by and check out the concert, Seneca." Cinna replied. "Hi there, Julia, long time, no see." He held out his hand.

"Pleased to meet you too, Cinna... It's been a while. You know, you're the only dark-skin that I like, even though you're a Panem 'god'." Julia shakes his hand.

"You know, for a god I kinda like you..." Eddie said. "I'm Eddie Riggs, by the way, head roadie for this tour." Eddie held out his hand, and he and Cinna shake hands. "Hate to cut this short, but I got work to do..." Eddie turns on his walkie-talkie.

"Okay, people, it's SHOWTIME! Raise the curtain!"He said.

"Curtain going up..." One of the roadies replied and the curtain raises on a sea of squeeing Kabbage Boy fans. But all they could see of the stage was pitch blackness.

"Hit the searchlights." Eddie called up next.

"Searchlights..." Another roadie replied, and two searchlight on opposite sides of the stage turn on and sweep across the crowd.

"Okay that's good..." Eddie said and the searchlights go out. "Now hit the black-lights... And cue jungle noises.."

"Black-lights..." A third roadie replied, and those purple lights turn on making the Mayan pyramid/cathedral reveal itself in the inky blackness, glowing an eerie purple, also glowing was a moon just above the pyramid and behind it was a jungle. "Jungle noises..." And the crowd could hear the noises of the jungle; The chirping of birds, The chittering of insects, the calls of howler monkeys, The occasional roar of a jaguar, and, although not native to Mexico, the laughter of a kookaburra(Can't imagine jungle noises without that bird for some reason), and the sound of worms. That last one got Julia shivering.

"Oh my, I'm absolutely getting chills down my spine..." Effie trembled with excitement. "This is absolutely so exciting...!"

"Oh dear, Why did you have to include the sound of those horrid, slimy, pink slithering c-c-c-creatures..._*shiver shiver shiver shiver shiver*_" Julia trembled...for FAR different reasons. "J-J-J-Just hearing them m-m-makes me want to squ-squ-squirm._*shiver some more*_."

"Wait a sec...You're afraid of worms...?" Eddie said.

"I'm afraid s-s-so, Edward...!" Julia replied. "I s-s-suffer from a b-bad case of V-V-Vermiphobia."

"Okay, okay, well, moving on..." Eddie talks into his walkie-talkie. "Okay guys, turn down the sound effects and cue the sun..."

"Turning down jungle noises..." A roadie replies and the sound s of the jungle die down, and since she can no longer hear the sound of worms, Julia stops shivering and squirming... "Cuing the sun..." The moon prop goes down and the sun prop comes up to music of Peer Gynt suite #1 by Edvard Grieg. Cheerful bird chirping can be heard as the top floodlights bathe the stage in a warm glow.

"Nice... now let there be drums...!" Eddie ordered.

"Drum music..." The sound of jungle drums and Mayan chanting boom out of the massive speakers.

"Hit the side pots..." Eddie said, grabbing a nearby fire extinguisher in case something goes screwy. "You guys might wanna stay back a bit."

"Side pots..." The pots shoot up bursts of flame and heat.

"Wow, I could feel the heat even from back here." Nan commented.

"Impressive." Seneca said. "That you can do all that with such...quaint hardware..."

"Admit it, Weird Beard, You're awed..." Eddie smiled. "Okay, lets bring up the band..."

"Raising the band..." The Powerful Motors spark into life and lift the Kabbage Boy band-members onto the stage. When they appear, they are cloaked in Mayan priest robes, heads hanging down as if in prayer.

"Now, pyro! Rear floods!..."

"Pyro and rear Floods..." The pyrotechnics go off in a blaze of blinding light and a sound of deafening thunder, The rear floodlights light up, bathing the stage in a dazzling array of colors..

It was right there and then the Kabbage Boy band-members throw off their robes, fling them into the shadows, and the hidden roadies that scoop them up and sneak off stage completely unseen by the wildly cheering audience.

In the middle of the stage was the lead singer Erik, wearing his phantom mask and white jacket and holding the microphone. To his lest was lead guitarist, Raz holding Clementine. To his right, was bass guitarist, Paul holding his bass guitar. On top of the pyramid was the drummer Sid and his drum kit. And to the left of Sid, at the base of the pyramid was the DJ, Reggie on his dual record player.

Erik take the microphone. "Alright, welcome everybody to tonight's first concert on the Victory Tour..." He lets the crowd cheer for a few seconds before continuing... "This goes out to the good people of Mexico, who represented districts 7 and 12 in the 2011 hunger games! And lets give a big hand to this years victor: Nan Fletcher of district 8...!

A cameraman from Effie's staff aims a floating camera at Nan, and her surprised face is plastered in several big screens surrounding the stage. "I'd recommend smiling and waving, Nan..." Julia suggested, and Nan smiles sheepishly and waves to the audience. And the audience cheers.

"Anything you got to say before we get this concert started...?" Erik asked.

It took a while before Nan answered... "Um...People of Districts 12 and 7...Um...Er... Do I really sound like that...? Aheh heh heh..._*giddy*_...Um...Right... Aheh heh..._*blush*_... Thank you people for welcoming me... and...um... No hard feelings..." The camera turns off... "_*sigh of relief*_... Oh man that was tough... And I thought the games were hard... I'd rather be home hunting monsters..."

"I know how you feel, Nan...Well other than the monster fighting bit. Give me a library any day..." Julia replied, remembering her own victory tour.

"Okay, thank you, Nan..." Erik said as the pictures of Nan flicker off and are replaced by Kabbage Boy's logo. "Alright everybody... Do you people wanna hear some Heavy Metal...?" The audience thunderously cheers. The band opens up with their signature song 'Girlfriend' Which starts out pretty okay... and then the lyrics hit...Boy Band style lyrics...!

"Oh, what absolutely wonderful music..." Effie squeed (tweenager at heart).

"Not bad...not bad at all..." Seneca commented.

"No kidding, this is soo cool...!" Nan added, her eyes all starry (real tweenager). "I want their autographs...!"

"Oh, man, this is why I don't like working for these guys..." Eddie says to himself as he face-palms (true- metal-head). "They're just killing the genre..."

Also face-palming was Julia. "Oh, good grief... I think I've decided I simply don't like boy-bands..."(has better, and more cultured taste in music). "I feel sorry for you, mr Riggs..."

"Keep in mind, the night's just starting..." Eddie warned. "Not to mention this whole tour... _*sigh*_... Give me Judas Priest any day..." He lights a cigarette...

And the concert continued into the night, and everyone was having a good time... With the exception of Eddie, Julia, and interestingly enough...Cinna "_*sigh*_... Give me Lenny Kravitz any day..." He says to himself... he wants to get away...he wants to fly away... Yeah yeah yeah...

* * *

_**(End Part 2)**_

_**Author's Notes:**_

_**Well that oughta take care of Districts 12 and 7 and our first concert.**_

_**Not much else to say, so see you next chapter.**_


	3. First Time Off World

_**Part. 3 First Time Off World(D11, D10).**_

* * *

_**(The Tour Plane, Leaving Mexico City)**_

After a couple of days taking everything down and packing it away for the next concert in Ottawa, Canada(which represented district 11 for that year's games), The tour-plane departs from Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City and sets a course of 31.5 degrees towards Ottawa MacDonald-Cartier International Airport. It will take them roughly 5.5 hours traveling at 350 miles an hour to cover the distance of 1,939 miles.

Eddie was sitting up in the tour plane's restaurant when Cinna walked in and sat down at the same table after getting a sandwich himself. "So, curious about the belt buckle too, huh?" Eddie asked.

"A bit, Edward..." Cinna replied. "But mostly, I'm curious about it's owner. So what district were you...? No doubt you participated in the reapings, right?"

"I did..." Eddie replied, taking a bite of his sandwich. "District 11, about two times when you guys chose my hometown of Seattle, never got reaped though."

"I see..." Cinna replied. "As we like to say 'the odds were ever in your favor' huh...?"

"Yeah, but not for those four kids that were reaped, though." Eddie washes his sandwich down with a class of water.

"Yeah, that was unfortunate." Cinna agrees. "I'm told that you could see through our personal filters, that correct...?"

"Heard it from Weird Beard huh...?" Eddie replied. "You look a bit like that Lenny Kravitz guy though..."

"Lenny Kravitz...?" Cinna tilts his head. Eddie pulls up his laptop and Googles up Lenny Kravitz, Showing Cinna his picture. "Well I guess I kinda look a bit like him, huh." Cinna agrees. "So what does he do...?"

"He's a rock singer, pretty good one too..." Eddie answers. "I guess we'll be talking about the belt buckle next..."

"Don't worry, Edward, I already knew about from Seneca..." Cinna replied, taking a bite out of his sandwich. "Though it is rather unusual that it shares the same design as that pin that miss DuBois owns. Actually your belt buckle's the second time I've seen that face. There may be a connection, but I'm not sure where."

Just then, Natz and Nan entered the restaurant. "Well, you two, what did you think of the concert in Mexico City?" Eddie asked. He hadn't had a chance to talk to those two since the concert a few days ago, too busy packing everything away for the next concert.

"It was sooo awesome...!" The otherwise serious Nan squeed with joy. "And Kabbage Boy's soo cool!" She added, no doubt about it, Nan has gone totally groupie. "Especially that cool lead singer, Erik Faust, I think I'm in love..._*sigh*_...!" Yeah, definitely a groupie. "I was even able to get their autographs, SWEET!"

"But it cost us twenty five gald for them..." Natz added.

"Gald...?" Eddie asked.

"Standard coin of the realm on Terca Lumereis..." Natz answered. "Interestingly enough, variations of currency can be found on D2, D6, and D9. Oh yeah, they're basically gold coins to you, so the metal itself is accepted on all of the districts." Natz shows Eddie a gald coin, Which is a golf coin stamped with the city outline of Zaphais.

"Yeah..." Eddie examines the coin. "Definitely a gold coin alright..."

"Yo, Eddie, what's up...?" Erik enters. "Oh, like hi there, Nan."

"KYAAAH! OMIGOD! ERIK!" Nan squeed, her eyes going all starry.

"Woah there, Nan..." Erik replied. "Just came to like talk to Eddie here..."

"So then, I take it you came up with what you want for the stage...?" Eddie asked.

"Sure, we're like gonna go with our normal stage for our next few stops. So no special stages for a while then. Got it...?" Erik answered, Eddie nods. "Good then, lets see what's like totally on the menu today..." Erik check out the list and orders some caviar.

"Ooooh...! Even the way he talks is sooo cool...!" Nan gushed, Eddie just rolls his eyes...

* * *

_**(Ottawa, Canada)**_

The tour plane soon lands at Ottawa MacDonald-Cartier International Airport. Like Mexico City before, Kabbage Boy was greeted by a large mob of cheering French-Canadian tween-age groupies, shouting out their names, shouting how much they love them, even the boys in that mob, shouting out how much they want their babies, even the boys strangely enough, all of their shouting, screaming, squeeing, and gushing in both French and English of course, and holding up several posters of their favorite band members.

The roadies load the stage gear onto several waiting trucks and drive them to the Canadian Tire Centre to set up the stage there.

The following day, Nan gave her victory tour speech at Parliament Hill, mentioning the fallen tributes Billy Jessup(M) and Jeanne Reidou (F). Attending were their immediate families as well as the current D11 mentor, an American in his late thirties. This was followed by a lavish dinner with the prime-minister.

Two days after that, the victor party, with backstage passes attends the concert as the Canadian Tire Centre.

"So, What do you guys think of Ottawa...?" Eddie asks as they watched the concert.

"Well, it's a bit cooler than Mexico City." Natz commented.

"And It's a bit wetter..." Nan added. "Though not as much as Tolbyccia back home. Also not quite as...smoggy. And the people here are surprisingly polite."

"And what about you, Julia..." Eddie asks Julia but she seems more interested in listening to some music on the mp3 player she borrowed from Eddie. "...Um...Julia...?" Eddie waves his hand in front of her to get her attention. She takes off her earphones. "looks like you're enjoying that long-haired stuff I downloaded for you."

"Oh yes, Edward, that Beethoven composer is absolutely marvelous, Thank you so much for acquiring his music and showing me how to operate your mp3 blastia." Julia smiled back. "It'll most certainly help make these Kabbage Boy concerts a bit more bearable."

"So what do you think of Ottawa...?" Eddie repeats his earlier question.

"It isn't too bad, Edward..." Julia answered. "Climate's a bit like home. And the beer's really good. The Empire's breweries got nothing on this Molson Canadian stuff."

"Yep, no matter what part of the universe you're from, nothing beats Canadian beer." Eddie smiled back. "Well gotta get back to work, see you guys later..." And Eddie leaves them to enjoy the concert... Except for Julia who put her earphones back on and went back to enjoying Beethoven...

* * *

_**(The Tour Plane, A couple of days later)**_

The tour plane takes off from towards Ottawa MacDonald-Cartier International Airport. And climbs to ten thousand feet on a course of 90 degrees. In the front viewing section, Seneca has invited the victor party and Kabbage boy to meet him there once the plane levels off.

"Have a seat, everyone..." Seneca said and they each take a seat. "In mere moments, we'll be leaving Earth via warp portal and jumping to our next stop on the tour, District 10, The world of Eon. We'll be headed to the empire of Angora. For quite a few of you, this will be your first time visiting a distant world." Julia and Natz have been there before, while Nan, Kabbage Boy, and the roadies have never been there. Come to think of it, Kabbage Boy and the roadies have never been off Earth.

"Woah, are you telling us that we're going to an alien world and stuff...?" Sid asked.

"That's what Seneca said..." Effie chirped. "Even though we'll be traveling many light years across the galaxy, out technology will make the whole jump last only mere moments, isn't is wonderful...?"

"I wonder, are those dudes on Eon gonna have flying cars, robot butlers(or better yet, robot maids) food replicators and stuff...?" Raz asked.

"Well, my dear Raz, You'll just have to see for yourself..." Effie replied.

"I hope they have some really good booze." Reggie said. "And even better chicks, or the other way around. Doesn't matter..."

"Well this oughta be interesting..." Paul said. "Just hope we don't catch anything weird that's all. Don't know if our medical insurance covers alien bugs... By the way, won't they be speaking some weird, funky alien language...?"

"Not to worry, Paul..." Cinna answered. "Over the millennia we've made certain to cultivate the world's languages...including yours to understand one another with very little difficulty. You can understand us..." They nod. "Not to mention Natz, Nan and Julia, seeing as to you, they're aliens right?" they all nod.

Then an announcement came over the P.A. System "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. In a couple of standard minutes a portal will be opening and we'll be flying through, leaving Earth behind and jumping to the world of Eon. So please sit down, strap yourselves in, and make sure all your luggage is safely secured..." The tour plane's pilot announced. A few minutes later a sphere of pure energy appears in front of the plane. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are now about to make our jump to Eon, so hang on to your stomachs..." The plane approaches the portal, its light bathing the three gods, Kabbage Boy, and the victor party. Suddenly there's a blinding flash as the plane crosses the portal. As their vision clears, the people in the viewing section can see below them the rolling plains and hill, and then the spectacular spires of the city of Rosewood, capital of the continent of Angora.

"Kabbage boy, Nan Fletcher, and oh yeah, The road crew who's been watching this via monitor..." Seneca announced. "Welcome to the planet of Eon!"

* * *

_**(Rosewood Airport)**_

The plane touches down at Rosewood's airport and is soon parked. As soon as the entourage disembarks, they are met by a group of reporters and... hold on... "Like hey, where are our hordes of squeeing fans...?" Erik asks, noticing the apparent lack of squeeing groupies.

"_*snicker*_ You look absolutely surprised, Erik..." Julia snickered. "Let's just say that you're unknown outside of your solar system."

"Well looks like we'll have to build up our fan base all over again..." Paul commented. "If we want to be galactic famous..."

Then all of a sudden... "KYAAAH! There they are...!" A tweenaged girl cried out, and before you know it the terminal if flooded by a large group of, you guessed it, Kabbage Boy fans? All the way out here...?

"Oh, good grief..." Julia _*face-palms*_. "And I was hoping for some peace and quiet for once..."

"...Or not..." Paul looks understandably confused "How did this happen...?"

"Your tour concert was planned some time in advance, my dear Paul..." Effie explained, "So we broadcasted several of your top music videos to the outer worlds to help build up a fan-base, thus guaranteeing that you'll have fans on the outer worlds."

"Like that works for me..." Erik smiled. "Damn, like you two are like totally good." He compliments the two gods.

"All in a day's work, mr Faust." Seneca replied.

_**(Meanwhile, at the tour plane)**_

Eddie and the road crew were, to say the least, awestruck at the sight before them. All around the platform, they saw hovercraft of every imaginable shape and size go about their business in a perfect choreography of fluid motion. Beyond that they can see the massive, gleaming white towers of the city vaulted against the sky, many of them twice as tall if not more as the largest skyscrapers back on earth. And even though they are clearly in a vast city, the air is perfectly clear, not a hint of smog whatsoever.

"Wow..." Eddie said in pure awe. "It's just like in those old science-fiction novels from the '60s... or maybe Even the '50's..."

"No kidding, Eddie..." Ralph agreed. "Damn this place if just fucking awesome.."

"You got that right, Ralph..." Eddie agrees, just as the hover trucks show up to haul their gear to the city stadium.

"First time to Rosewood, huh...?" The driver of the hover-truck said as he climbed out of the cab.

"Yeah...you could say that..." Eddie replied. "Name's Eddie Riggs, head roadie, I'm from Earth by the way..." Eddie introduced himself.

"And I'm Jerald Harper." The driver replied. "You're from Earth, you say...?" Eddie nods. "So this is your first time off world, huh...?"

"That's right, Jerald." Eddie answered. "And it looks like Cinna's right that we can understand each other, makes things a lot easier."

"And here I was spending the last few days boning up on my Klingon..." Ralph added.

"What's Klingon...?" Jerald asked, his head slightly cocked.

"Um...Never mind, dude..." Ralph replied, Apparently they don't get Star Trek out here. "Anyhoo I suppose you guys are here to haul our gear to the concert stadium."

"You got it..." Jerald answered, pointing at his rig. "Let's get your stuff loaded, Hope it's compatible with our power systems." And the Road crew loaded up the stage props onto the waiting hover trucks. "Those look kind of...primitive..." Jerald commented on their electronics. "Will they work...?"

"Well they did work back in Ottawa." Eddie explained as they loaded the gear. "But I suppose we might need adapters or something in order to use them here huh."

"I'll see what we could arrange." Jerald said as they climbed aboard to fly over to the stadium.

* * *

_**(The Terminal, overlooking the loading/unloading area)**_

Meanwhile, one of Kabbage Boy's new fans, A teenaged schoolgirl with her red hair bunned in the back was watching her father talk to the road crew when her brother walked up. "Hey Shayla, what's on your mind...?" The boy asked.

"Oh, I was just watching Dad talk to those men down on the platform, Jack..." Shayla replied.

"Looks like they're the stage crew for that new musical band that the gods are advertising for the last few weeks..." Jack commented. "You know, the ones that you're currently gaga about...?"

"Kabbage Boy...?" Shayla replied. "Oh yeah, they sound really cool..._*sigh*_" she added, stars in her blue eyes. Then she looks back at the crowd, noticing the Terca Lumereisians. "Look like that new victor is here..." she said.

"I heard that her name's Nan Fletcher..." Jack said. "Heard that's she's part of some monster fighting guild..."

"Yeah...Career Tribute..." Shayla said. "And look there that priest, Natz and... You've gotta be kidding me... I'd never thought I'd see her here again..."

"Julia Elizabeth DuBois..." Jack said, looking at the bespectacled twenty year old mentor. "Looks like the rumors are true that she's now the current mentor of District 8." Last time Julia was on Eon was about five years ago on her own victory tour. The only difference between then and now is that she's now slightly taller, and now wears round rim glasses instead of her oval crystal lenses. But there's no mistaking her face, her hairstyle, and her accent which almost resembles the gods own accents. Then Jack notices something odd... "Shayla...what's wrong …?" He asks noticing his sister holding her forehead.

"Uhn...I'm getting some weird vibes, Jack..." Shayla answers.

"Is it coming from the gods...? Or the two victors...?" Jack asks.

Um...No, Jack, it's coming from...ahn... Him...!" Shayla answered pointing at...Eddie Riggs...!? "There's something REALLY weird about that man Dad's talking to..."

"Excuse me, but I couldn't help but over hear you two..." The two siblings turn around to see who was talking to them... And both gasp in surprise to see it was Julia. "So who is this weird person...?" Shayla nervously points at Eddie as he boards the hover truck. "It figures..._*sigh*_... Oh, my humblest apologies, I simply forgot to introduce myself. I'm Julia DuBois. Though I do suppose you two already know who I am." Julia introduces herself, bowing slightly.

Needless to say, the two school kids were slightly taken aback by this victor's politeness and show of humility. It was a few seconds before Shayla answered first. "Oh, I'm sorry, how rude of me not to answer right away..."

"That's okay..." Julia smiled.

"Let me introduce myself, I'm Shayla Harper." Shayla introduces herself. "Welcome back to Eon."

"Name's Jack Harper." Jack also introduces himself. "I'm her older brother by the way..."

"It looks to me that you have some unusual abilities, miss Harper..." Julia inquired.

"Um... yeah, miss DuBois..." Shayla replied, looking around, noticing the three gods and their peacekeeper bodyguard. "Could we...talk somewhere private about this...?" She asks.

"You sure about this sis...?" Jack asks. "I mean she is a tribute mentor in the employ of the gods after all..."

"I know, but I can sense that we can trust her..." Shayla replied. "So, miss DuBois, can you talk with me in private...?"

"Well... I suppose so..." Julia agreed. "Lead the way..." So Julia and the Harper siblings head over to a nearby restroom. After checking to make certain that it was empty. Julia and Shayla enter, leaving jack outside to keep watch. "Alright then let's make this quick, miss Harper, so what is it you wanted to tell me..."

Shayla takes a deep breath and closes her eyes "I have the been... blessed with the gift of Divination... _Not to mention the ability to communicate telepathically..._" That part of Shayla's answer Julia didn't hear with her ears, but inside her head...!

"Woah...! My Word! You're a telepath...!?" Julia stepped back in surprise. "This tour just keeps getting weirder and weirder... I do strongly recommend that we use our mouths to communicate."

"_Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you like that, miss DuBois_." Shayla apologized, still using telepathy. "_But I feel this way, our conversation won't be overheard. __Go on give it a try... Talk using only your mind._"

"Um...Okay... I mean..._Um...Okay... Testing testing one two three four...can you hear me now...?_" Julia replies, using only her thoughts.

"_Loud and clear, miss DuBois..._" Shayla replies using just her thought as well.

"_This is just so absolutely weird..._" Julia thought. "_Wait a minute does this mean you can also completely read my mind...? And find out everything about me...?_"

"_That would be...intrusive, miss DuBois..._" Shayla replied. "_Besides __It requires me to concentrate much differently, meaning I wouldn't be able to communicate telepathically__..._"

"_Um...Right then... __I suppose my private thoughts and memories are safe for the time being then..._" Julia thought.

"_That's correct, your confidentiality will be respected, Miss DuBois..._" Shayla replied. "_As I stated before, I can see the future, have telepathy, read minds but only with permission, but that's not all... And it has something to do with the gods..._"

"_So what is it about the gods that's gotten us talking with our minds in a ladies lavatory...?_" Julia asks.

"_I can see their true form, miss DuBois..._" Shayla thought her answer.

"My word... I mean... _My word...!_" Julia gasped before returning to speaking with her mind. "_So what do they look like to you...?_"

"_The bearded one looks even more stylish, and his beard has all those waves and swirls in them..._" Shayla thinks, describing Seneca. "_And that lady with him seems to like wearing foofy wigs and uses an awful lot of make-up..._" Now describing Effie. "_But that dark skinned one... I'm not sure if He's a god or not, because I'm not seeing any sparkles around him. Maybe unlike the others, he doesn't use a filter to alter his appearance..._" And finally describing Cinna...

"Wait a sec...Cinna's not using a filter...?" Julia said, forgetting to talk telepathically.

"I think so..." Shayla replied breaking the telepathic link between her and Julia.

"I think It's best that I rejoin the others..." Julia said. "I fear they might start to wonder where I went."

"Good idea..." Shayla said.

"You know I'd like to take you to see Edward When I get the chance..." Julia suggested. Where do you live...?"

Shayla writes down her address on a piece of paper and gives it to Julia. "I suggest you hire a cab and give him the address. Make sure you arrive after school hours."

"Good Idea, miss Harper." Julia replied. "But I'm sure I can translate your writing in the meantime. See you later..." Julia leaves the restroom. The Harper siblings also leave and are soon buried in the crowd. Julia returns to Natz and Nan... And the waiting gods...

"Where were you, miss DuBois...?" Seneca asks.

"Oh, just using the little girls room..." Julia smiled. "I just absolutely needed to go..."

"Okaaaay..." Seneca understands. "I suppose everybody has to use the toilet sometime..." Even the gods...Yes...Even the gods...

* * *

_**(Rosewood Stadium, A day or so later)**_

Eddie was overlooking the recently raised scaffolding and drum plinth, Now festooned with the multicolor floodlights. "Okay time to try out those adapters The locals got for us..." Eddie talked into his walkie-talkie. "Turn 'em on, cross your fingers and hope they work, Or we don't go kablooey..."

"Engaging the power..." One of the roadies answered... nothing yet, so far, so good. Looks like the custom made adapters are holding. Nothing's blown up so far, but Eddie can still hear the faint hum of electricity coursing through the wires.

"Alright..let's try the rear floods..." Eddie ordered. "Let's see if they work..."

"Rear floods..." Came the reply, and the rear floods lit up. Eddie checks them to make sure they're not too bright(overloading) or too dim(not getting enough juice). So far they look okay. As it turns out, no matter what world you're on, electricity is still electricity. And Eon's electronics tolerances are not much different from Earth's.

"Awesome, they're working great. Let's try the top floods next..." They continued the checks, making sure everything's working correctly, and fixing anything that wasn't. After making sure that all was in order for the concert. The road crew deiced to take a break and order some pizzas...Or whatever passes for pizzas on Eon... As well as several cases of the local beer.

"Well that was fast..." Marcia, One of the few female roadies in the crew said as she notices a rather weathered looking hover-sedan approach. "And we only just made the order a couple of minutes ago..."

"Um... Something tells me that's not our pizzas and beer, Marcia..." Eddie replied, noticing the apparent lack of a delivery sign on the hover-craft as it touched down. The front passenger doors opens and out comes Julia followed by a woman in her mid to late thirties with red hair. "Definitely not the Pizza... Hey Julia what brings you here...? And did the limo break down and you had to hitch a ride or something...?"

"Very funny, Edward. I'll explain in a moment..." Julia replied. "But right now let me introduce you and your friends to Mrs. Marissa Harper. Marissa, This is Edward Riggs and his road crew..." Julia introduces Marissa Harper to the roadies. Then the driver's side door opens. "I understand you guys already met her husband." She said as Jerald emerges, the roadies nod.

Then the rear passenger door opens. First to come out was this red headed teenaged boy wearing a white shirt with a red necktie, brown school jacket and grey pants and brown shoes. Following him was a teenaged girl with red hair, the front half parted in the middle, the back half done up in a tight bun, Her school uniform matching the boy's except for the knee length pleated skirt, white socks and black single strap shoes. "And I'd like to introduce you to their children; Jack Harper and Shayla Harper." Julia introduces the two schoolkids to the road crew. "Edward, You might find a bit hard to believe, show him, Shayla..."

"Show me what...?" Eddie asks as Shayla closes her eyes and concentrates.

"_Greetings, Edward Riggs of Earth, My name is Shayla Harper, Pleased to meet you..._" Shayla introduces herself, using her telepathy.

Oh, man the look on Eddie's face...priceless. He staggers back in surprise falling on his butt. Julia snickers. "WHOA! Holy shit! You're a mutant or something...?"

"Hey Eddie, you okay...?" Ralph asks.

"Did any of you guys hear that girl talk...?" Eddie asks, the roadies shake their heads. "I thought as much. That girl just introduced herself to me... with her mind! Which is kinda cool when you think about it." Eddie gets back up on his feet.

"Wait a sec... You telling us that she's a telepath...?" Ralph asks.

"_That's correct sir..._" Shayla telepathically answers, surprising Ralph.

"Whoa! Now I've heard everything..." The surprised Ralph replies. "Oh, man this tour just keeps getting weirder and weirder..."

"So you're a mind reader, Huh...? Um... I think you should answer that normally... with your mouth and not your brain" Eddie suggested.

"Alright then, mr Riggs. Sorry is I startled you and your friend there." Shayla apologized. "Anyway, I've been blessed with psychic abilities which so far include divination, that the ability to see the future, telepathy, which I already demonstrated, and... I can see through the gods filters..." That last one caught Eddie's attention.

"Lemme guess... You can see Weird Beard's weird beard, and can see that Ford Edsel likes wearing those silly wigs and uses enough makeup to cover a 1959 Cadillac huh...?" Eddie asks.

"Weird Beard...? Ford Edsel...?" Shayla cocks her head in confusion.

"I believe Edward means Seneca Crane and Effie Trinket respectively, Shayla..." Julia replied. "Don't ask why..." She turns back to Eddie and explains to him why she brought the Harpers here...

"Right then... So the red head here was sensing something freaky about me and you wanted to bring her to me right...?" Eddie asks and Julia nods. "And the rest of her folks insisted on coming along as well, right...?"

"Well that's the gist of it, Edward..." Julia answers while Shayla was...convincing the rest of the roadies of her abilities. "By the way, Did you know that god Cinna isn't using a filter to alter his appearance..."

"Well, guess that explains the lack of a weird aura around him..." Eddie replies. He looks at the Harper's car. "Something tells me that ol' Jerald ain't doing too good..."

"I'm afraid not, Edward..." Julia shakes her head. "His family is very poor, just barely getting by, He wants to move his family to stay with relatives living in the neighboring empire of Fortuna. He wants to give his children a much better life, and reduce the risk of them getting reaped because Angora keeps getting the short end of the stick when it comes to the annual reapings and tithings..."

"Oh man, that's rough..." Eddie shakes his head. "I'll see what I can do to help them out..."

"I'd appreciate it, Edward..." Julia replied. Just then Shayla approaches. "So, Shayla, how were the roadies...?"

"_*giggle*_ They're a pretty funny bunch, and rather friendly despite their rough appearance." Shayla giggled. Then she turns her attention to Eddie. "Mr Riggs, I feel like I need to read your future and your past. Do I have your permission to use my power of divination on you...?"

"So you want to go into my head again, huh...?" Eddie said, Shayla nods. "Hmmm, lemme think about this for a bit..." Eddie ponders on this for a few minutes while the rest Of the Harpers gather... "Well, I don't think there's any harm. So go for it, kid..." Eddie gives his approval.

Shayla closes her eyes and begins her concentration. "Let me see your past...You never knew your mother... You were a soldier... You loved your father and missed him deeply... and... you're not fond of Kabbage boy...?" Shayla breaks her concentration. "So how correct am I...?" She asks.

"Pretty good, Shayla..." Eddie answers. "Never did knew my mom, All I have of her is this..." Eddie shows her a necklace with a single shark tooth. "As well as this shirt art." He points at his black shirt with the interesting silver graphic in it. "I did spend a few years in the Marine Corps. Semper Fi..." He pulls up one of his sleeves, showing a U.S.M.C. tattoo on his shoulder. "I was pretty close to my dad, even though we spent a fair amount of time apart. He died in a stage accident a few years ago, all I got to remember him by is this..." He shows her his belt buckle. "Though recently, I found out there's more to this guy than I thought..." He looks at Julia who places her hand on her chest where her pin is located beneath her jacket. "And, well other than Paul, I'm not too crazy about my current employers, because they say they're metal, but there more of a boy band, more in it for the money than the art, but that's just my opinion."

"I see..." Shayla replied. "And there's something more to you, and it feels like it's calling out to me. May I continue...?"

"Are you sure about this, sis...?" Jack asks, a worried expression on his face. "You could discover something that might be...forbidden by the gods..."

"I know, jack..." Shayla replied. "But something tells me that this is very important, and that he need to know..." She turns back to Eddie. "May I...?"

"Important huh...?" Eddie strokes his goatee. "Might as well, kid..." He gives his permission.

Shayla resumes her deep concentration. "... I can sense that you have on your mind, a particular stage design based on that belt buckle and it's been haunting you for weeks now..."

"A stage design, Edward...?" Julia asks.

"Yea, Julia. It's been appearing in my dreams lately..." Eddie replied. "At first, it's all fuzzy, but then it started getting clearer and clearer. Tried to draw it out a few times, but it didn't feel quite right...yet..."

Meanwhile, Shayla continues her divination...probing even deeper into Eddie's soul. "...I think this is it... this is what I've been sensing about you, mr Riggs... A little more concentration... A little more... It's getting clearer... It's... It's... No... No! It can't be!... It just can't be!... He's connected to... KYAAAAAAAAA!" Shayla violently breaks the connection. The shock knocks both her and Eddie on their backs. There's a look of pure panic on her face As she clutched her arms and shivered intensely. "_*shiver shiver shiver shiver shiver*_ Oh no! What have I seen...? _*shiver shiver shiver shiver shiver_* The horror! The HORROR!"

"Whoa... That was weird..." Eddie sat up, looking a bit groggy.

"Ar you okay, Edward...?" Julia asks.

"I'm okay, I think..." Eddie replied. "Just saw a whole bunch of images flash past, looks like some world. It looks like its people were being wiped out by...demons... butt-ugly demons."

"Is that what you saw as well, Shayla...?" Marissa asked, a really worried look on her face. Shayla nods.

"_*still shivering*_ Mr Riggs... H-h-how is it p-p-possible that you're somehow c-c-connected to the f-f-forbidden world..._*more shivering*_"

"Forbidden world...?" Eddie asks. "What do you mean by that...?"

"_*GASP*_My word..." Julia gasps, hands to her face in sheer surprise. "Do you mean..._**DISTRICT 13**_...!? But I just can't be... That world was destroyed over a thousand years ago...!"

"Wait what? District 13!?" Eddie said, looking confused. "The world that those god guys have said to destroyed over a thousand years ago...?" Everyone nods. "And I have a connection to it somehow...? You're kidding right...?" Nobody replies. "You're not kidding aren't you...? But you said it yourself, Julia, that world went POOF a long time ago, how could I be connected to it...?"

"I'm not sure, Edward, But I feel it's for the best for now we keep this little titbit of info to ourselves for the time being..." Julia suggested. "Best not to let the gods know or else they might decide to make us...disappear."

"G-g-good idea, m-m-miss DuBois..." Shayla stuttered. "I don't wanna get my family smited for something I did..." She hugs her mother. "Mom, I was so scared! I saw such terrible, horrible and forbidden things! I shouldn't have done that...Let's go home already..."

"It's all right, dear, it's all right..." Marissa reassured her still frightened daughter. "We'll go home now..."

"Hey, folks, why not stay for pizza..." Ralph said. "Besides, the pizza guy's here..."

"Pizza...?" The Harpers asked.

"Um...Yeah, We ordered something that looked to us like pizzas, and some beer..." Eddie replied. "Not sure what you'd call 'em here, but we're willing to share with you, Oh yeah, we also have some pop for the kids..."

"Actually, we do call them pizzas here." Jerald explained.

"I knew they were pizzas..." Eddie smacked his fist into his palm. "Oh yeah, afterwords we're gonna test out the instruments. If you want, you guys could stay and listen to what real metal sounds like..."

"Hmm...Don't see why not, mr Riggs..." Jerald replied. "What do you think...?" He asks the rest of the family... And they decided that it might be interesting.

"Good thing I brought this..." Julia walks back to the Harpers car, and pulls out a violin case. "Good thing you suggested that I bring this along, Shayla."

"Yeah, I kinda had a premonition that you might want to bring it along." Shayla smiled back, now that she's calmed down.

After everyone had supper, they tested out the sound system, Julia started first playing Beethoven's 5th symphony, first movement on her violin. "This would sound much better with the full orchestra..." She commented.

"Well, you're pretty good Julia..." Eddie complimented, making Julia giddy. "So sit down in that chair right there, and let's show you how we have fun..." Julia climbs down and grabs a chair while Eddie plugs in Clementine, Ralph sits down on the drums, Marcia plugs in Paul's base guitar, A roadie named Terry plugs in a keyboard synthesizer, and a roadie named Bob took the mike.

"So which song are we doing tonight, Eddie...?" Marcia asks as she adjusts the strap.

"Highlander, by Lost Horizon, Marcia..." Eddie Replies. "You up to it, Bob...?"

"Sure am, Eddie..." Bob replies with a slight British accent.

"Okay, people..." He looks at the Harpers. "This is what real Heavy Metal sounds like, so... A one, A two, A one, two, three four..." And the roadies perform 'Highlander', all twelve minutes of it. "So what do you guys think...?"

"Well...it was rather...loud..." Marissa answered first.

"And yet, rather...majestic..." Jerald added.

"Well I liked it, It was pretty awesome..." Jack gave the roadies a thumbs up.

"Wow...just...Wow! So that's what real Heavy Metal sounds like...?" Shayla said. "It was...mind blowing, Makes Kabbage Boy sound like a...boy band... I just can't believe it..."

"Well believe it, Harpers..." Julia said. "I do admit that song was pretty powerful, way better than that stuff Kabbage Boy plays... but give me classical music any day."

"Coming from you, Julia, we'll take that as a compliment..." Eddie replied. "That was a pretty good impression of Daniel Heiman you did there, Bob..."

"No problemo, mate..." Bob replied. "Though some of the high notes are a bit rough."

Shortly thereafter, Julia and the Harpers leave, for the hotel and home respectively. "Guys, I want to help out the Harpers so they can move to Fortuna."

"So what do you have in mind, Eddie...?" Marcia Asks.

"Here's what I have in mind, guys..." Eddie tells then his idea...

* * *

_**(The Harper's residence, A couple days after the concert)**_

The Harpers were sitting down to their morning breakfast before Jerald would go to work and Shayla and Jack would head off to the state-run school. As they were eating, they hear a knock on the door _*knock knock*_. "Shayla, would you answer that...?" Marissa asks.

"Yes, mom..." Shayla stood up, walked down the hallway to the door. She looks through the peep-hole, and is surprised to see who it was. "*GASP*" She opens the door. "Mr Riggs...?" She gasped as Eddie stood in the doorway. "What are you doing here...?"

"And good morning to you too, Shayla." Eddie gives Shayla a thick envelope. "I want you to give this to your folks, tell 'em it's from the road crew."

"Um...Okay..." Shayla accepts the envelope and returns to the table.

"Who is it, Shayla...?" Jerald asks.

"It's mr Riggs, Dad..." Shayla answered. "He wanted to give you this..." She hands the envelope to her father, who proceeds to open it to reveal that it's full of cash! Everyone gasps in surprise.

"By the gods, so much money..." Marissa gasped, her face white with shock at the large amount of bills stuffed in that envelope. They also notice a note in there. She unfolds it and reads; "We figured that you guys might need this to start a new life in Fortuna..." It was signed Eddie Riggs, Ralph Barrie, Marcia Ross, Terry Cunningham, Bob Jessom, and several other members of the road crew in their own handwriting and Julia DuBois.

"But...Mr Riggs, We don't know what to..." Jerald started to reply to this gift but Eddie was already gone. He looks down the hallway...Empty. They look out the window only to see the taillights of a hover car go around the corner and out of sight. "...Thank you..."

"Just like that, he didn't even stay to be thanked, how rude." Marissa commented on Eddie's rather sudden departure.

"But something tells me that's his nature, Mom." Shayla replied.

"Oh...?" Marissa asked.

"There was something he told us about roadies the other day..." Shayla said. "Do you remember, Jack...?"

"Sure do, sis..." Jack answered. "..._A good roadie knows his whole job is to make someone else look good, keep someone else safe, help someone else do what they were put here to do. A good roadie stays out of the spotlight. If he's doing his job right, you don't even know he's there. Once in a while he might step on stage just to fix a problem, to set something right. But then before you even realize he was there or what he did...he's gone..._"

"_*sigh*_ And I was hoping to show him this..." Shayla pulls out a piece of paper and places it on the table. "I'm still getting visions about him, but most of then seem to involve this axe..." She shows them the drawing of the axe she saw in her vision. The axe had a wicked looking double blade design with flames etched into the blades. "I have a feeling this axe will become a major influence in the near future for him... and perhaps... even more..."

* * *

_**(End Part 3)**_

_**Author's Notes:**_

_**Disclaimer: once again, I do not own Eon, nor the Harpers, they are OC characters that appeared in HGG and are thus, the property of fellow fan-fic writer war 292400(Although I did took the liberty of giving the parents first names). And remember this series takes place a year before Hunger Games Galaxies.**_

_**Shayla's visions will contain a few spoilers for Brütal Legend. So no bonus points for anyone recognizing the stage she saw or, near the end, the axe ;p.**_

_**Next chapter we'll be paying a visit to the world of Sylvarant/ Tethe'alla. Later...**_


End file.
